GaN chargers are something we have been seen in the market for years now. Gallium Nitride, or GaN, are more efficient in terms of size and heat resistant than regular silicon-based charging. There are few smartphones and laptops brands that offer GaN chargers, and ASUS recently launched a 65-watt GaN chargers of their own that is priced at Rs 2,799 to charge your laptop and smartphone at once. Let's try and check how it fares:
The ASUS 65-watt GaN adapter is quite compact and not at all bulky compared to some other chargers we have currently in the market. On the top, you have the ASUS branding; while some safety and product details are on the right side. The two USB type C ports are side facing for when you plug it into a conventional Indian wall socket. Weighing less Than 120 grams, the charger is not heavy at all to be carried around in your backpack or handbag for work and travel purposes.
You get one 1.5-metre-long USB type C to type C white cable in the box that supports 5 amps current. It isn't a braided cable and is pretty much standard in quality of what you get with some smartphones from the likes of Motorola, but a bit longer, which is definitely needed considering you're going to use it with a laptop and not just a smartphone.
The GaN chargers can charge at 65 watts when one device is plugged in. I found this to be reliably 65 watts when charging an Android phone with support for fast charging. You also get support for Quick Charge 4.0, Power Delivery 3.0 and PumpExpress 2.0. It charged a OnePlus Nord 4 from 1 to 50 per cent in under 30 minutes and a Dell Inspiron laptop from 5 per cent to full in about two hours. When both USB type C ports are in use, the charger distributed power as per the devices connected (generally 25watts + 40watts at 3.25A max when used together) -- with the laptop being provided a little more power compared to the smartphone when put on charge simultaneously. The charger got warm mildly and never felt too warm or anything alarming during my usage.
We do have options from other brands such as Nothing's CMF and Belkin at a similar price but with an added USB type A port along with two USB type C ports. A full USB type A port as a third option can still be handy when you're carrying only one charger and have multiple cables (including more common USB type A to C ones) and devices to manage. The ASUS charger misses out on that, but it is a bit more compact in size and ligher in weight. So if you don't need that USB type A port, you can definitely consider this GaN charger, otherwise you got a lot of other options to choose from.
